Summary

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a frequent disorder. But standard treatments which neglect the specific characteristics of the symptomatology are only of limited outcome. The paper focuses on recent diagnostic criteria and specific risk factors that are likely to influence the development of chronic and complex PTSD symptoms. Different treatment programmes and techniques are presented on the basis of validated therapy studies: prolonged exposure, cognitive restructuring, EMDR, psychodynamic therapy and writing assignments. Particular attention is payed to the psychotherapy of sexually traumatised women who suffer from chronic PTSD and comorbid disorders.